KINGSTON, N.Y. -- A month after the Ulster County Legislature voted unanimously to reappoint its Railroad Advisory Committee, Democratic lawmakers are questioning whether two longtime members of the committee have conflicts of interest.

During a Democratic caucus last week, several legislators asked whether Harry Jameson and Earl Pardini, both members of the Catskill Mountain Railroad, have conflicts of interest by serving on the advisory committee. The resolution lawmakers adopted reappointed five members, including Jameson and Pardini, and appointed three others.

"This committee has oversight of one company, and that one company has officers that sit on the board," said Legislator Ken Wishnick, D-New Paltz.

"This board has been in existence for a long time, and I've always believed there was a conflict," said Legislator John Parete, D-Boiceville.

Chris Ragucci, the Democratic caucus' attorney, said that because the advisory committee has the ability to act autonomously and can make decisions that affect their own vested interests, "a clear conflict exists."

"I believe this could be a problem down the road," Ragucci said.

Ragucci recommended Democrats call for the resolution reappointing the committee be rescinded.

First Assistant County Attorney Clinton Johnson agreed, saying County Attorney Bea Havranek also believes there is a conflict of interest posed by having members of the Catskill Mountain Railroad on the Railroad Advisory Committee.

Representatives of the Catskill Mountain Railroad could not be reached for comment Friday.

The Ulster County Railroad Advisory Committee was re-established by the county Legislature in 2010, but its members were never reappointed.

As a result of the controversy raised by Ulster County Executive Michael Hein's plan to rip up some of the railroad tracks currently leased by the Catskill Mountain Railroad, railroad enthusiasts called on lawmakers to activate the committee by appointing new members.

In his 2013 budget, Hein included more than $600,000 in revenue from the sale of the former Ulster & Delaware railroad tracks west of Phoenicia, which are owned by Ulster County and currently leased to the Catskill Mountain Railroad, which operates sightseeing trains.

Hein also has called for turning segments of the rail bed in Kingston and surrounding communities, currently used by the Catskill Mountain Railroad, into a rail trail.

Jameson, who is the chairman of the Catskill Mountain Railroad, has said the organization, which holds a lease on the tracks through 2016, may consider legal action against the county if it attempts to take up the tracks without negotiating with the group.

Editor's note: This story was amended 03/19/2013 to correct the hometown of Legislator Wishnick.